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Friday, 19 August 2011

Two minutes with... Gillingham

A new feature for my blog is ‘two minutes with…’ – a brief interview with a fan from every club that visits Underhill this season. After missing the defeat to Vale, I am kicking off with Gillingham, Tuesday night’s visitors to North London. The representative is a good friend of mine, Mikey Woods (who you can find on Facebook here).

How did you get to the game?We drove up as we normally do. It usually takes around an hour to get to Barnet on the motorway which is convenient.What did you do pre-match?We stopped off at South Mimms services to get some food and arrived in Barnet in good time, so had a few pints in the Old Red Lion, a decent pub for away fans and very close to the away entrance.Where did you sit/stand in the ground?In the East Terrace, maybe not the best stand in terms of view but away fans are able to generate a good atmosphere there.What did you make of the game?From a neutral point of view, it was actually quite an entertaining game of football. In the first half, I felt Gillingham had to better of it, but Barnet came right at us in the second half, and looked to be on top for much of it. They certainly look a different side from the one struggling near the foot of the table last season.Was the scoreline a fair reflection?Obviously, I was frustrated to see Gills concede in the 94th minute but on balance, a draw probably was the right result.Who, in your opinion was man of the match?It was hard to single anyone out for Gills, and it's probably fair to say Izale McLeod was the best player on the pitch. Always a thorn in our side it seems.Who have you got next and how do you think you'll get on?At home to Plymouth next, could be tougher to call than people think. As Plymouth are struggling on and off the pitch, and fighting for points, I have a feeling this could end in a draw, I'm saying 1-1.

Thanks Mikey

My final word:A draw was definitely the right result in the end. Both goals we conceded were something Barnet fans have become accustomed to - silly defensive lapses, unable to clear the ball from the penalty box when necessary. As it was my first game, it was interesting to see how the new-look Barnet squad would fare in comparison to last season. Man of the match for me was definitely Izale McLeod - with both the goals in the game (the second coming in the fourth minute of added time, with pretty much the last kick!). Deering and Marshall, again, looked threatening down the wings and are bound to frighten defenders this season.